Take a Hard Ride (1975)

Well, a lot of naysayers for this film in the reviews section. I have to be honest, this was a lot better than I expected it to be, especially after seeing Jim Brown's name above Lee Van Cleef in the opening credits. He earns it by virtue of a lot more screen time and a generally decent performance while balancing out Fred Williamson's take on the flashy gambler character Tyree. I thought Williamson put a little too much Seventies street vibe into his dialog, so that was a negative. Another one, if it hadn't been so entertaining, was Jim Kelly's portrayal of an 1870's Tarahumara Mexican/Indian with no tongue and a kung fu gimmick! All those high flying moves and spinning back kicks? - I don't think so, but like I say, it WAS entertaining.But what I did like was the twist with Catherine Spaak's character, and all those crazy horse spills! When Pike (Brown) and Tyree maneuvered the chasing posse over that near ninety degree angle hillside, I just couldn't believe it. The stunt-men earned their pay on that escapade, and if you kept a close eye on the background when the camera shifted back to the heroes, you could see a horse continue to slide down the hill. There were a few more single instances of horse and rider going down, but I've never seen so many at a time in a maneuver like that. Simply incredible.Then there was the sleight of hand with former New Orleans call girl Catherine. I have to admit, I didn't see that coming when she made off with the satchel leaving the big money behind. In fact, I don't recall any character making a sacrifice like that in any other Western, so chalk one up to the writer who created that scene.So with all that, I wasn't too concerned about the eventual showdown between Pike and Tyree. It was hinted at more than a half dozen times between them so you knew it would have to happen. The kicker was Pike's neat hand-off to Chico to thwart everyone in on the chase for the picture's final twist. As if to acknowledge Pike's clever ruse, bounty hunter Kiefer (Lee Van Cleef) just laughed it off right then and there. Uncharacteristically so, he still had a shot at the money if he continued the chase, but I guess that's where the budget called for The End.Two final thoughts - who came up with the idea of a character named Dumper (Harry Carey Jr.) actually taking a dump in the picture? And with Fred Williamson's early and frequent use of snakes to create a diversion, why didn't they use it in one of the final segments to outwit the bad guys? With a little more work, this could have been called "Snakes on a Plain".

A western, shot in Spain, with a twist: Jim Brown and Fred Williamson, folks not normally associated with Euro-made westerns, take it upon themselves to deliver a large payroll to a ranch in Sonora, Mexico, after the ranch owner (Dana Andrews) dies while on the road. Everybody who hears of this -- and I mean everybody -- goes after them. This includes the local sheriff (Barry Sullivan), an army of drifters and gunhands, and bounty hunter Lee Van Cleef, who recognizes Brown as a wanted man from years before. Brown is given minimal dialog, which is a good thing as he is not exactly an actor. Williamson fares better as a breezy card sharp in fancy duds, who carries most of the dialog for the two of them. Not bad. The music, clearly derived from THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, is better than the movie.

Thank God blacks have gotten past this stage of films. How completely undignified.Moreover, this was for me, a painful film to watch. Such a wonderful talent as Ronald Howard, playing the crooked preacher, in this, his last film, which turned out to be complete crap. The cameramen didn't even have the grace to give him one lousy decent shot. Every time it looks as though he might get a little bit of exposure, the camera returns to that damned Lee Van Cleef. It is clear to see how this led him to finally abandon acting entirely. What a waste of talent. Very sad indeed.

A knockout cast of blaxploitation favorites (Jim Brown, Fred Williamson, Jim Kelly) and western veterans (Lee Van Cleef, Harry Carey Jr.), an excellent score by Jerry Goldsmith, good Canary Islands location filming and a reasonable premise. Entertaining and colorful production directed by Anthony M. Dawson (=Antonio Margheriti). Jim Kelly's mute kung fu indian(!) is a bit far-fetched, though...How about a remake with Ving Rhames, Samuel Jackson and Jeff Bridges?5/10